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How the Church Can Respond to the Gay Agenda

Anne Paulk, who struggled with same-sex attraction, has some advice on how the church respond with grace and love to those struggling with same-sex attraction. (iStockPhoto.com)

If one topic in our culture could be described as the “perfect storm,” I would have to say it is homosexuality. Social battle lines are forming around us as we grapple with homosexual marriage or civil unions, gay ordinations and homosexual theology.How did we reach the point at which gay marriage is not simply on the horizon but happening all around us? And how should we respond as Christians in order to make a lasting difference in the lives of those who are caught in the trap of homosexuality?Often when this topic is addressed, I find that the individuals personally dealing with same-sex attraction can be overlooked. But I see past the misplaced ideals and political propaganda to the individual. You see, I struggled with homosexual feelings and identity from childhood into my adult life.

Now I am a happily married wife and mother of three young sons. Because of Jesus, I am who I am today. It was not an instantaneous healing but rather a walk into maturity alongside my Savior that changed me from the inside out.

For the last 20 years, I have had the privilege of ministering to women and their loved ones who have been affected by homosexuality. I must say that the circumstances today make it much more difficult to leave the homosexual life.

The truth, that change is possible for those who want to follow Christ Jesus (see 1 Cor. 6:9-11), is often upstaged by gay propaganda–“once gay, always gay” and “people are born gay.” Yet women and men are still leaving homosexuality and finding freedom in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

In order to fully understand the individuals, we need to look at the goals of the gay political movement, the response of the Christian church and why it is vitally important to shine forth the love of the Lord if we wish to see others find freedom in Him. My hope is to equip you to better understand and reflect our Lord to these individuals.

The Gay Agenda Today, when we hear about homosexuality, we often hear the following words or phrases: tolerance vs. intolerance, homophobia vs. acceptance, bigotry and hatred, unchangeable vs. changeable, and our “American” right to sexual gratification. It was not always this way.

About 20 years ago, homosexual activists set out to mold what Americans thought about homosexuality. Specifically, they desired to silence the moral voice of the church by minimalizing those who spoke against homosexuality.

Activists wanted to display those who spoke against homosexuality on television as ignorant or foolish. Attacking traditional views, the activists played the victim while acting seriously intolerant themselves.

I will never forget asking a TV producer of a national news show about giving the Christian viewpoint a fair share of broadcast time. He told me that the program dare not give us the last word. “The station will have bomb threats if we do,” he said.

At the same time, gay researchers were attempting to prove a genetic component for homosexuality that would influence the minds of average Americans. Though those in the homosexual lifestyle have argued about the desirability and validity of the research, outwardly all supported the idea of being “born gay.”